Light On

Raphael cursed silently as the alien elevator leading to the lair not so quietly opened. As he hobbled out and leaned against the wall, the elevator closed noisily next to him. He grumbled something to the effect of destroying the wretched device if it woke up his family, but was quickly silenced as he bit back a yowl of pain.

His breathing was labored as he held his left arm, placing all his weight on his right leg. He was sore, but felt strangely numb as his body leaned against the brick that surrounded his home. He had yet to open his eyes since stumbling into the lair, trying to keep from falling over. His pride forbade him from just slinking to the floor and allowing his brothers – especially 'fearless' – to find him in a few hours. No way in hell was that happening.

Raph wished he could make it to his hammock, but he knew there was no way he could make it all the way upstairs, and better still, climb his way into his hammock which was a good 4 feet off the ground. 'The couch is as good a place as any I guess. They'll find me no matter where I lay down, so I guess there's no use tying to hide.'

He pushed himself off the wall with his shell, but didn't prepare his next move – he landed full on his bad leg and crumpled to the ground, hissing and moaning in pain as he tried desperately to stay quiet. 'Damn Dragons. I'll fuckin' kill 'em next time!' he growled in his mind as he stilled his body and took calming breaths to subside some of the pain.

"Wow, they really roughed you up tonight." A calm voice said from above him. "What's the matter? You sick or something that you can't take down some weak street thugs." The voice got louder as the known mutant turtle kneeled next to Raphael.

Raph stared daggers up at his older brother, 'This night just gets better and better.' Raph shifted, trying to gain a vertical orientation, but failed miserably as he rolled onto his injured arm earning him another shot of pain. "Spare me 'fearless'," Raph ground out, as he settled back to the floor and waited for the pain to die down.

"Fine, if you don't want my help, I'll just go get Donny," Leo sighed as he got to his feet. Before he could start to walk away though, a hand whipped out and caught his ankle. The blue clad turtle looked down and was met with fierce brown eyes.

"Don't you dare," Raph warned as he tightened his grip slightly to get his point across. He kept his face placid of the pain that was coursing through his body. He was humiliated enough, he didn't need 'The Great Leader Leonardo' seeing how bad off he really was – he didn't want nor need his pity.

Leo studied Raph for a moment, noticing that his hot headed brother was once again hiding things from him, but he decided to yield to his brother's whim this time and kneeled down again, removing Raph's hand from his ankle. "Fine, but I'm bandaging your wounds. I don't care what you say. And you better not scream at me too loudly, or you'll wake everyone in the house." Leo 'warned' with a slight smile.

"I don't need your he-ahh!" Raph almost screamed as Leo lifted him by his good arm in one swift motion. 'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! That smarts!' Raph thought as his head hung loosely to his chest, an arm around Leo being led to the couch. He felt so dizzy and tired all of a sudden.

Leonardo laid his brother out on the couch, not trusting that his brother could sit up on his own anymore. 'It's a miracle he made it home without Casey's help, though he might not have had a choice – Casey might be worse off then him.' Leo shook his head as he placed a small throw pillow under Raph's head. "Don't move; I'll be right back."

Raph snickered at the command, but couldn't make a remark. He was just trying to stay conscious at this moment. For the first time he noticed that the lair wasn't completely dark. There were mediation candles lit on the table in the main sitting room. Raph lost himself in the flickering flames, his mind totally blank for few minutes. 'He must have been waiting all this time. Waiting…for me to come home. He waited…for…me…?' Raph didn't notice a tear run down his face until Leo returned and wiped it away.

"Raphael? Are you okay?" The tear sent off warning bells. Hamatou Raphael does not cry; not since he was five. Leonardo was now beyond concerned. He sat on the edge of the couch, cupping Raph's cheek and looking into his eyes – the first aid kit he fetched from the bathroom forgotten on the floor. He feared a concussion, or maybe complete insanity. 'That would actually be kind of ironic. After all we've been through – alien invasions, dimensional travels, the Shredder, the Utroms (to name a few) – and Raph finally cracks after a street fight.'

Leo was jarred from his thoughts whenRaph cleared his throat. "Ya gonna patch me up so I can get some sleep, or are we gonna play 'Soap Opera' all night?"

Leo couldn't help but smile at his brother's comment, quickly retrieving his hand with a slight red tinge to his face, but he quickly turned serious. "I think I'm going to get Donny. I'm not the doctor in the family."

Raph griped Leo's wrist to keep him seated on the couch, "And neither is Don. He says so himself." Raph smiled a knowing smile at Leo, drawing back memories of the Battle Nexus Tournament.

Leo just shook his head and smiled, grabbing the first aid kit and setting it on the table, next to a bowl of warm water and a few towels. "Fine, just don't blame me when Don yells at you for not letting him check you over." He said, dipping a towel into the water and began cleaning his brother's many wounds.

"What makes you think he'll yell at just me? You didn't wake him up, remember?" Raph said as he closed his eyes as the warm water eased his tired muscles.

Leo smiled, "Because some hot headed brother of mine kept me from tell him."

Raph smiled, he knew this game all too well, and he actually enjoyed it – though he would never admit it to Leo. "Since when do you take orders from me?" he said in almost a whisper.

Leo continued to smile, but didn't respond. He wrapped Raph's arm and tied it snugly to his plastron to keep it immobile. He then checked the red clad turtle's leg - it definitely wasn't broken – most likely badly sprained. He would be out of action for a few weeks. Leonardo worked silently – splinting the ankle and wrapping it – not sure if his brother had passed out on him yet or not.

When he finished he put the supplies away as quietly as possible and stood up with the first aid box in hand. He was stopped by Raph's voice, "L…Leo…cough!" his voice cracked.

Leo leaned over his brother and placed a hand on his good shoulder. "Relax bro. I'll get you some water. Concentrate on your breathing. Deep, even breaths." He commanded and sped away to the bathroom where he put the first aid kit away and filled a disposable cup with cool water.

He was back to Raph in an instant, lifting his head gently so that he could drink without choking. When Raphael was done, Leo gently lowered him back to the pillow, coving him with the blanket that rested on the back of the sofa. When he was done fussing over Raph, he sat down in front of the couch in lotus position to keep a nightly vigil. "Call me if you need anything Raph. I'll be right here."

Raph lay silently, floating in the warmth of the blanket, the candles and his brother only a foot away; the almost unnatural stillness and silence of the lair enveloping him, pulling him deeper into unconsciousness. His body no longer ached, and his throat wasn't dry thanks to the water Leo so graciously fetched for him. 'He's a good brother,' Raph thought lucidly, failing miserably at keeping his eyes open. They closed without his permission, and refused to open. His breathing was evening out as he slipped to the line of lucidity – the place between sleeping and waking – he wasn't even sure if he was awake or not. His hand twitched as he took a deep breath in – it energizing his body and senses for a few fleeting seconds. "Thanks Leo…for waiting." He whispered, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Leonardo smiled softly, looking up at the candles on the table in front of him. "I'll always keep a light on for you Raph, so you can find your way home."

Just something that came to mind while listening to the song 'Light On' by David Cook. Enjoy! R&R

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. This is purely fanmade. Not for profit.